To be fair and transparent about this, the GT Audio Works GT3R planar ribbon speakers do not — (I repeat) DO NOT — need sub-woofers. Yet the exhibitors decided that the GT3R’s would best deployed at CAF with the additions of a few Sound Insight’s SI600 self-powered open-baffle sub-woofers. The sub-woofer configuration was six 12″ servo-driven subs per side. It was absolute madness all the way down to 16Hz. Do we need this? Was it fantastically hilarious and serious at the same time? Definitely to both.

"Sound Insight from Massapequa, Long Island brought along the newest version of their big hybrid planar ribbon/dynamic, open baffle woofer system to CAF. The speaker’s midrange panel runs $17k and goes down to 50 Hz. The diagphram is a bit out the ordinary not using common materials like Mylar. Instead the GTA3r uses a special composite material from Japan that allows the use of copper wiring on the panel. Price on the open baffle woofer system depends on the number of sub woofers; the all out towers arrangement shown at CAF runs $28k. The rest of the system’s electronics consisted of PASS XA 60.8 amplifiers, PASS XS preamplifier and phonostage. A $6800 Semper Sonus TE1 epicyclic drive (rim) Turntable from Portugal outfitted with a Schick tonearm and Lyra Kleos cartridge spun 12-inch black discs. Wiring was provided by Triode Labs.

The sound was much improved over last year. The soundstage was massive yet every instrument’ was precisely separated, layered and located. There was a real magic in the midrange with vocals and the system was very transparent. Definitely some speakers to keep an ear out for!"

Thanks for your interestWe would love to give you an auditionWe have customers all over the US who love these speakersPlease visit our facebook page - google Sound Insight High End AudioFor videos of these customers speakers and testimonialsLook foward to auditioning them for you Kemper Holt from Av showrooms gave us best sound at the show this year There will be a video that will be coming out very shortly from Peter Breuninger From AVSshowrooms who told us that they were way better sounding in the infinity IRS V.

"A selection from the Bill Evans Trio's Sunday at the Village Vanguard was playing when I entered the room shared by Volti Audio, BorderPatrol Audio, and Triode Wire Labs, and the experience cemented my opinion. Whether the loudspeakers in question are my own Altec Flamenco or the Volti Rivals being demonstrated that day ($11,300/pair as shown; prices start at 8900/pair), absolutely nothing under heaven reproduces the sound of a plucked double-bass as well as a tightly suspended, greater-than-12"-diameter paper-cone woofer, preferably being driven by a low-power tube amplifier. Nothing.

Other products in that very real-sounding system were BorderPatrol's P20EXD power amplifier, which uses two 300B output triodes in push-pull to deliver 20Wpc ($20,650 as shown; prices start at $17,760); the enduringly controversial BorderPatrol DAC SE ($1850 as shown; prices start at $1495), plus Triode Wire Spirit interconnects (prices start at $399/pair), American Speaker Cables speaker cables (prices start at $699/pair), and the Obsession power cables ($1399 each). As can be seen in the pic above, that beautiful pair of Volti Rivals, with their Bosse Cedar veneer and exposed-plywood trim, were purchased by a show attendee."

300B and horns are a classic match and this room took full advantage. Whatever the specs read, music played through the Border Patrol DAC sounded very good to me. Pete's cables did a good job of presenting rich harmonics through the horns. Bass wasn't bad either though the room might have been a little too small when the woofers were cranked up but the front port on Transmission Line woofers with adjustable plate (at 99dB sensitivity) played well on "normal" listening level. The bass was tuneful and textured to bring out the best of the bass strings. Three way horn this well integrated with adjustable external crossover at this price is a pretty damned good deal I think.

Got to talk to Gary Dews for a while and I like his stuff and talked a little about possible products I would be interested in.

300B and horns are a classic match and this room took full advantage. Whatever the specs read, music played through the Border Patrol DAC sounded very good to me. Pete's cables did a good job of presenting rich harmonics through the horns. Bass wasn't bad either though the room might have been a little too small when the woofers were cranked up but the front port on Transmission Line woofers with adjustable plate (at 99dB sensitivity) played well on "normal" listening level. The bass was tuneful and textured to bring out the best of the bass strings. Three way horn this well integrated with adjustable external crossover at this price is a pretty damned good deal I think.

Got to talk to Gary Dews for a while and I like his stuff and talked a little about possible products I would be interested in.

"You have to ask yourself— how can a DAC be controversial? You have to ask because a DAC can’t be controversial any more than a spoon can be controversial—people make things controversial when they try to impose their opinion so forcefully in order to make it, their opinion, more important than the thing. That, my friends, is just plain silly. As Michael/DeNiro said, “Stanley, see this? This is this. This ain’t something else. This is this.”

The BorderPatrol / Volti Audio room featured the above amp driving a pair of Volti Rivals (starts at $8,900/pair), the BorderPatrol Control Unit, and the BorderPatrol DAC SE with Coax and USB inputs ($1,850.00).

There was nothing controversial about the sound of music in the BorderPatrol / Volti Audio / Triode Wire Labs room which was sweet, immediate, and punchy as all get out. Don’t tell anyone, but I have that DAC in-Barn for review right now!"

CAF 2018: BorderPatrol, Volti Audio, Triode Wire Labs and Where the Magic Is

"Part-Time Audiophile readers are probably already aware of our enthusiasm for the products of BorderPatrol and Volti Audio. Since I am new to the staff, I am also new to the distinctive and engaging sound accomplished by these two manufacturers. I did get a brief taste of the combo while visiting PTA publisher Scot Hull a few months ago—he was using BorderPatrol amplification and the new Volti Rival speakers in his main system. We were evaluating one of Lyn Stanley’s glorious reel-to-reel limited releases, and I was mightily impressed with the big effortless sound.

The Panavision of Hi-Fi

I have to make a brief correction here—I have heard BorderPatrol and Volti Audio at a show exactly once before, a couple of years ago. I stuck my head in briefly to see what the fuss was all about, and I experienced a very unusual set-up—Volti’s gigantic Vittora loudspeakers placed far apart along the long wall of the room, close to the corners. It was an immersive sound, as big as it gets, and while it looked unusual, I got caught up in all the excitement.

At the 2018 Capital Audiofest, I was treated to a similar set-up, this time with the smaller Rivals (starting at $8,900/pair) and Triode Wire Labs cabling such as “The Obsession” power cords ($1399 each), “American Speaker Cables” (starting at $699/set), “Spirit II” interconnects (Starting at $399/pair) and assorted digital cabling for the Innuos Music Server and the BorderPatrol DAC SE (SPDIF+USB, $1850). A beautiful BorderPatrol P20EXD power amplifier ($20,650) provided this big, exuberant 300B sound with just 20 watts per channel, thanks to its push-pull configuration.

A Member of the Band

I heard that same broad, immersive sound from the trademark corner placement of the Rivals as I did the other two times, but I was also impressed with powerful and deep bass from what is supposed to be the “small” speaker in the Volti line. (You get an honest 32 Hz from a speaker that is “1/3 the size and 1/3 the price” of the Vittora, and the Rival also has a 100 dB efficiency!) The woodwork on these speakers is so gorgeous, and its performance so impressive, that I thought the $8,900 price was a typo.

The BorderPatrol amps were equally surprising—the P20EXD seemed to preserve all the strengths of the 300B tube (lifelike midrange and just the right amount of warmth) while vanquishing the shortcomings (odd soundstage, sloppiness at the frequency extremes). I’ll go out on a limb and say this is one of the most enjoyable and versatile 300B amps I’ve heard.

I need to mention one more time that while BorderPatrol, Volti and Triode Wire Labs create a sound that is different than most, and decidedly not overly “hi-fi,” the musical engagement is extraordinarily high—especially when you let this system really rip. I said the sound is immersive, which means that you’re sitting very close to the stage, or maybe even among the musicians. But that’s the place to be as far as I’m concerned—that’s where the magic is."

"GT Audio Works & Sound Insight:This room was certainly getting the buzz during CAF 2018 and for very good reason. Possibly one of the best sounding rooms at the show, if not the best. Greg Takesh, owner of GT Audio Works talks all about his design of the GTA3r loudspeakers, an open baffle, full range, 2-way planar magnetic loudspeaker with a ribbon tweeter and proprietary driver. Now, include Steve Rabitz of Sound Insight’s open baffle powered 6/channel stereo sub woofers that go down to 16 Hz and you’ve got an uber-fast, chest-pounding sound with no sacrifice to delicacy and detail.

I describe this as a masculine sound in the AVShowrooms’ “Reviewers View” Video that most certainly mesmerized and beguiled this female listener! The system was powered by the Pass Labs XA 60.8 power amps and the Pass Labs XS pre amp, a perfect combination for this system. However, tube lovers should take note that the GTA3r’s are 92 db efficient. All wiring was by Triode Wire Labs, both the Synergistic Research Powercell 12 UEF SE and Tranquility Base were in place and the CD was played on the Esoteric K01xs SACD player using the Vu Jade Audio 101DHT DAC."

The StorySound Insight is a New York state dealer with two showrooms in Long Island; one in Massapequa, and the other in Huntington. Here at Capital Audiofest, stood one of the companies greatest contributions to hi-fi.

The GT Audio Works GTA3R planar ribbon loudspeakers use a proprietary membrane, and no crossover. They are mated directly in full-range to the amplifier. From 40hz on up, the two-way system of planar driver and ribbon tweeter handles everything with ease. Surprising to write that, but after witnessing it all sans electronic crossover, I’m a believer. From 50hz down, it’s on to the sub-woofers.

The SoundThis was very close to being my favourite sounding room of the show. Laser like precision of imaging. Ultra-wide scale of bass and soundstage. No boominess of the bass to be found anywhere. Dispersion of the low-end frequencies seemed to radiate from the room’s farthest physical boundaries. Dynamics and power by the boatload. As resolving as planar ribbons can be, there was no sign of noise up front or behind the speakers. The Class-A amplifiers from Pass Labs were performing flawlessly. We switched back and forth between digital and vinyl, but for my money, the digital in this room was the star of the show. The Vu Jade DAC is new to me, but it was eerily quiet and dark where necessary.

Upon entering the room I was verbally lassoed and hogtied by a fan of my writing and photography (poor fella, he needs to get out more). We discussed the room sound, and what he liked about it. The conversation was actually quite delightful. As the music started the conversation stopped, and all ears dilated.

Big rolling sounds, full range muscle, and landscapes that fell wide. Just a few of my notes taken during listening. The source was digital and provided by an Innuous Music Server feeding the BorderPatrol tube DAC. Power was an astonishingly low 20 watts per channel (in push/pull), but more than ample for the Volti Audio Rival speakers which function at a high 100 db/W sensitivity.

These are the supposed to be “the small” speakers made by Volti, and I guess they are — but only by comparison to Volti’s own larger models — but in no way are the Rivals deemed “small” by their sound. They play deep and cover all the frequencies. A true three-way design, with horn tweeters, horn mid-ranges, and ported 15-inch woofer enclosures. The Rival loudspeakers could be anyone audiophile’s final stopping point in the ongoing pursuit of hi-fi nirvana, and at just a smidge under $9K. The only urge to upgrade from the Rival as far as I can tell, would be having some extra money burning a hole in your bank vault.